Dick Blume / The Post-StandardSnow covers Carbon Street in Syracuse this morning. Schools closed and roads were slick. Snow could fall at the rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour this afternoon.Syracuse, NY -- Heavy, wet snow is expected to pummel the Syracuse region today, intensifying by late afternoon to near white-out conditions that could restrict travel, snap power lines and topple trees, the National Weather Service said.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning through 7 a.m. Friday for Central New York and northeast Pennsylvania.

Dick Blume / The Post-StandardAlbert Hamilton shovels a sidewalk on Bear Street in Syracuse.The Interstate 81 corridor between Syracuse and Binghamton likely will get hit hard, Nicosia said. Low-lying areas in that zone could see a foot of new snow by the time the storm tapers off on Friday, but higher elevations could see 20 inches or so, he said.

Snowfall will pick up in the late afternoon, coming down at times at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour, Nicosia said. The wind is expected to pick up, too, gusting up to 40 mph. Travel could get difficult, perhaps to the point where authorities might have to close the interstates, he said.

Totals of 20 inches also are expected in the Catskills; western New York is likely to top off around 10 inches, he said. The Adirondacks could get about 12 inches.

Farther east, the storm is more likely to produce rain than snow, Nicosia said. The storm center is circulating warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and swinging it from the north into the Northeast. That’s expected to keep temperatures warm enough in eastern New York and New England to prevent it from snowing in all but the highest elevations and to moderate snowfall in the Adirondacks, he said.

The winter storm warning went out about 3 p.m. Wednesday and it didn't take long for officials to heed it. By 4:20 p.m, Assemblyman Al Stripe had canceled a town hall meeting scheduled for this evening at the American Legion James Harvey Spire Post 787 in Cicero. Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney issued a travel advisory less than two hours later to begin at 4 a.m., urging residents to consider whether they need to drive and to take precautions if they do.

Cayuga County issued a travel advisory about 9:30 a.m. asking motorists to allow ample time to reach their destinations and to use extreme caution.